Question

Which of these is NOT useful in the prevention of KFD?

• A. Vaccination
• B. Deforestation
• C. Prevention of roaming cattle
• D. Personal protection

Hint:

KFD prevention relies on vaccination, tick control on cattle, and personal protection; clearing forest raises exposure instead of lowering it.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

KFD, or monkey fever, is a tick borne viral fever seen in forested parts of Karnataka. It passes to people through Haemaphysalis tick bites, with monkeys helping to raise the amount of virus circulating in the forest.

1. Vaccination: A killed KFD vaccine is offered to people living near or entering the forest, cutting their chance of severe infection. This is a real preventive step.
2. Deforestation: Cutting down forest disturbs the natural tick and monkey habitat and pushes ticks toward forest edges where people, cattle, and monkeys mix more closely. This has been tied to more outbreaks, not fewer, so it works against prevention.
3. Prevention of roaming cattle: Cattle that graze inside the forest and then return to the village can carry ticks with them. Stopping this movement, or treating cattle against ticks, blocks a real route of spread.
4. Personal protection: Repellents, covered clothing, and checking the skin for ticks after a forest visit all cut the chance of being bitten, so this genuinely helps prevention.

Three of the four options, vaccination, cattle control, and personal protection, are established ways to prevent KFD. Deforestation instead disturbs the forest and raises human contact with infected ticks.

Let's summarize:

• KFD spreads through tick bites, with monkeys amplifying the virus in the forest.
• Vaccination, cattle control, and personal protection reduce risk; clearing forest increases it.

So the measure that is NOT useful in preventing KFD is deforestation.